24 January 2014

Government nuisance behaviour climbdown “a victory for free speech”

The
Alliance has
declared the government's climbdown on plans to outlaw annoying and nuisance
behaviour as a "victory for free speech".

The
Evangelical Alliance was part of Reform Clause 1 – a group of campaigners who
were concerned that plans to replace ASBOs with IPNAs (Injunctions to Prevent
Nuisance and Annoyance) would have had a chilling effect on free speech and
would have subsequent implications for other currently legal activities.

Plans
had been made to allow the courts to restrict any action "capable of causing
nuisance or annoyance" by any person in any place.

The
Alliance joined
groups including the Christian Institute, Peter Tatchell and the National
Secular Society, as well as a cross-party group of MPs and peers – led by Lord
Dear - in opposing the plans.

Lord
MacDonald, the former director of public prosecutions, had also said that "a
busker outside a shopping centre, or a street preacher proclaiming the end of
days to passers-by may all be capable of causing nuisance and annoyance to some
person".

Following the
three-month campaign and a key vote in the House of Lords earlier this month,
where peers voted overwhelmingly for Lord Dear's amendment to the legislation,
the government today confirmed they will accept the key changes.

Commenting, Dr Don Horrocks, head of public affairs at the Alliance, said: "This
welcome change of mind by the government is not only a victory for free speech
but also common sense because the original proposals would have resulted in
serious and widespread unintended consequences. The home secretary is to be
applauded for listening to the pleas made directly to her and this positive
outcome clearly demonstrates the value of effective campaign groups working
together."

Simon
Calvert, campaign director for Reform Clause 1, said this was "a day to
celebrate."

He added: "The
original wording risked landing many ordinary people in court, which even the government
could not deny. Ministers were unable to provide a single example of genuinely
loutish behaviour that their new wording would protect against that the old
wording did not.

"I am
delighted that peers, led by Lord Dear, stood up for our civil liberties and
that the Government has today seen sense and agreed to accept the thrust of the
Lords amendments."